1. HVAC INSULATION- One of The Keys to a “HEALTHY BUILDING"
Glenn Brower
ASHRAE Technical Comm. Member
Knauf Fiber Glass

2. Indoor Environmental Quality
LIGHTING
QUALITY
AESTHETICS
Indoor Environmental Quality
AIR PURITY
ACOUSTICAL
COMFORT
THERMAL COMFORT

3. THE ROLE OF HVAC INSULATION IN IEQ
Thermal - helps to deliver air at the design temperature, save energy and minimize condensation
Acoustical - helps to reduce sound down the ducts, breakout noise, crosstalk
ventilation - can insulate without contributing to indoor pollution
aesthetics - depending on application, can be finished to blend in

4. AIR QUANTITY & VELOCITY
THERMAL COMFORT
AIR TEMPERATURE
AIR QUANTITY & VELOCITY

5. THERMAL PERFORMANCE OF DUCT INSULATIONS
Both internal and external insulations can deliver required R-values
R-values should be specified based on installed thickness
Duct Wraps are installed with 25% compression
Most codes specify R-values based on ASTM C518 or C177 testing
no air film benefits are allowed
Radiant barrier insulations tested at high delta T’s will not deliver R-value in duct applications

6. DUCT THERMAL PERFORMANCE
Temperature Drop or Gain can drive insulation above code requirements
example, 305mm x 610mm duct, delivering air at C, at a velocity of 305 meters/min over a length of 30 meters in a space at a temperature of 270 C, would have the following temperature gains:
uninsulated, ~ 40 C
insulated to R-0.74 m2-C/W, ~ 0.80 C

7. DUCT THERMAL PERFORMANCE
Condensation Control - eliminating sweating as a contributor to mold growth

8. AIR FLOW CONSIDERATIONS WITH INTERNAL LINED SYSTEMS
The use of any type of material on the inside of a sheet metal duct will have some type of associated friction loss
friction loss can be calculated from surface absolute roughness factors
galvanized steel, 1.22 m joints mm
galvanized steel, 0.61 m joints mm
fg liner with mat-faced airstream mm
fg liner with coated airstream mm

9. COMPARISON OF FRICTION FACTORS FOR DIFFERENT ABSOLUTE ROUGHNESS
COATED MAT OR FLEX DUCT
LINER W/ MAT
BARE METAL
Pressure loss is linear with friction factor
Pressure loss is linear with Hydraulic Diameter 4A/P
Pressure loss is the square of velocity, a factor of 2 in f = 30% velocity loss

10. Duct Breakout & Breakin
ACOUSTICAL COMFORT
Duct Breakout & Breakin
Duct Attenuation Loss
Duct Rumble

11. Air Ducts Are “Speaking Tubes”
Direct energy through a very focused area.
Carry equipment noise, damper noise, and other duct noise.
Can generate their own noise through expansion, contraction, or air velocity.
Carry office noise from interconnected spaces.

12. ACOUSTICAL PERFORMANCE OF HVAC INSULATION
Attenuation: measure of sound dissipation as it travels down the duct. Typically measured as insertion loss - ASTM E477
STANDARD DUCT SECTION - NO TREATMENT
TEST DUCT SECTION - ACOUSTICAL TREATMENT
The difference is insertion loss, dB per linear dimension

13. THE ABILITY OF DUCT LINER TO PROVIDE ATTENUATION
ASHRAE Applications, Sound and Vibration Control gives data on effectiveness of duct liner over a large range of rectangular duct sizes
insulation thickness is the primary driver for attenuation
product density is an insignificant factor
as duct size increases, effectiveness of internal lining is diminished

14. COMPARISON OF ASHRAE ATTENUATION DATA FOR RECTANGULAR DUCTS

15. ASHRAE ATTENUATION DATA FOR RECTANGULAR ELBOWS

16. COMPARISON OF ASHRAE ATTENUATION DATA FOR ROUND DUCTS

17. ASHRAE ATTENUATION DATA FOR ROUND ELBOWS

18. IF ATTENUATION IS THE GOAL, HOW DO YOU SPECIFY WHAT YOU WANT?
Unless all duct sizes are the same, don’t specify internal liner by dB/meter or dB’s at the target
changes for every duct dimension change
does the contractor include ells and other fittings?
Specify internal liner by sound absorption
gives an easy way to compare materials

19. SOUND ABSORPTION TESTING
Uses the Reverberation Room (ASTM C423) method, which measures ability to absorb random incidence sound
6.69 square meters of test material in the room
The mounting method plays a large part in the values obtained
for repeatability, duct liners should be tested using the Type A mounting
Test yields absorption values for each freq. band, also calculates an average, NRC

20. HOW CAN SOUND ABSORPTION CAN BE RELATED TO DUCT ATTENUATION?
Relationship between absorption & attenuation is nearly linear ~ 10
Relationship between absorption & attenuation is nearly linear ~ 7.5

21. DUCT RUMBLE, BREAKOUT & BREAKIN NOISE
Thermal insulations do not have enough mass to be effective over most frequencies
Flexible insulations in combination with mass can be helpful
for round ducts, can be directly attached, for rectangular, both the insulation and the mass should be physically separated from the duct

22. NOISE CONTROL FOR EQUIPMENT AND PIPING
Rigid insulation materials tend to pass the majority of vibrating energy right through with minimal attenuation.
Fibrous insulation is a much better attenuator. In specific applications one may have to install fibrous insulation over rigid insulation.
For extra attenuation, use multi-layered fibrous insulation with hard septums between layers.

24. THE DILEMNA OF REDUCING NOISE FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES

25. BIOLOGICAL CONTAMINANTS
AIR PURITY
PARTICULATE MATTER
VOC EMISSIONS
BIOLOGICAL CONTAMINANTS

26. PARTICULATE MATTER - THE ROLE OF INSULATIONS
External duct insulations should not contribute to dust levels in the occupied space
Internal duct insulations are designed to be non-contributors when properly installed
FG duct liners are tested at 2.5 times rated velocity, including an elbow without vanes, to assure that they can withstand air velocity abuse
numerous studies have shown fiber levels to be at background levels

27. TOUGHNESS OF INTERNAL INSULATIONS
The Surfaces of FG Liners will also take “normal” abuse from cleaning procedures
soft brushes or air washes will not damage the airstream surface
cutting into the duct should be done carefully so as not to damage the insulation
closing the duct after cleaning is also critical for future integrity

28. 1994 BUILDING CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY ADVISORY COMMITTEE STUDY
Evaluated duct cleaning methods for effectiveness in cleaning the duct surface and improving indoor air quality
contact method (conventional vacuum cleaning)
air sweep method (compressed air through a nozzle)
mechanical brush method (rotary brush in combination with vacuum collection)

29. BCIAC STUDY RESULTS
Studied 8 identical homes in a single neighborhood, 2 homes for each method and 2 controls
Results:
particle count readings were higher during cleaning than before or after cleaning
cleaning did not lead to higher indoor fiber counts
air sweep method showed the greatest reduction in bioaerosol concentration, although none caused significant improvement

30. HVAC INSULATIONS AND BIOLOGICAL CONTAMINANTS
FUNGAL GROWTH
requires both moisture and nutrients
dirt and fungal spores are present almost everywhere, therefore they will inevitably be deposited on duct surfaces
this is true regardless of the nature of the duct surface
the only way to minimize this deposition is through the use of better filtration

31. THE ROLE OF WATER AND FUNGAL GROWTH IN HVAC SYSTEMS
Moisture is the essential element required for fungal growth
Studies in static environmental chambers have shown that fungal growth will initiate at RH>=65%
Field studies in buildings where RH is regularly >65% show that fungal growth is rare

32. DUKE UNIVERSITY STUDY
Duke University - extensively studied 6 buildings in the Piedmont region
Heavy deposition of dirt and fungal spores on all surfaces inspected
no fungal growth on fresh air intakes, hot deck surfaces or hot deck air distribution surfaces
no evidence of fungal growth on the cold deck of dual-deck systems wherever intake air was preconditioned
it is the condensation of water on surfaces at dew point that have fungal growth

33. USE OF BIOCIDES AND ENCAPSULANTS WITH INTERNAL INSULATIONS
All FG internal insulations are already treated to be fungal and bacterial inhibited
when dry, these products will not sustain fungal growth
It is very difficult to get significant coverage of the air stream surface except where it is directly applied and visually confirmed
small areas of repair that can be directly reached may be effectively coated

34. BIOCIDES AND ENCAPSULANTS (CONT.)
Application of these materials could have human health consequences
Fire safety consequences - none have been tested in combination with the insulation, and quantity will be difficult to control
Long term effects - may degrade integrity of air stream surface, definitely voids mfr’s warranty
These treatments are not recommended for FG except for very limited spot repairs

35. VOLATILE ORGANIC CHEMICAL EMISSIONS
VOC’s are increasingly recognized as significant contributors to poor indoor air quality
Insulation materials, including duct insulations, have long been tested for VOC emissions and shown to be very low contributors
meet US EPA indoor emission requirements, State of Washington, State of Alaska, and State of California requirements

36. COMPARISON OF VOC EMITTERS

37. DECAY OF EMISSIONS FROM FIBER GLASS

38. THE PRACTICALITY OF ZERO VOC EMISSION MATERIALS
Many materials in the interior spaces of buildings emit VOC’s
Each VOC has a normal partial pressure that is a function of RH and temperature
if there are multiple sources of a VOC each will contribute until the partial pressure is reached
some materials that contain a VOC may actually act as a sink in the presence of stronger sources
Zero emitting materials in the presence of high emitters makes no sense

39. HOW CAN A SPECIFIER ADDRESS LOW VOC EMISSIONS?
Follow the guidelines of the US Green Building Council
the LEED design system addresses low emitting sources
There is a independent, recognized certification body that addresses all type of building materials and furnishings
Greenguard is very much like Underwriters Laboratories
Greenguard is recognized by LEEDS for maximum points

40. SUMMARY Thermal benefits Acoustical benefits
radiant effects are not applicable for most ducts
Acoustical benefits
tradeoffs to cellular non-fibrous materials carry a severe acoustical penalty
Minimal air quality issues in well designed systems
water is the issue, design to prevent it
filtration selection & maintenance will minimize any need for cleaning

41. REFERENCE RESOURCES ON ALL ASPECTS OF INSULATION AND IEQ
NORTH AMERICAN INSULATION MFR’S ASSOCIATION
Knauf Fiber Glass -
, x8801
ASHRAE Handbooks